Following the Secretary's Global Business Conference: A Guide to Our Message and Social Media

How can we at the Department of State better partner with U.S. businesses abroad to strengthen the U.S. economy and create jobs at home?

That is a question my colleagues in our over 200 missions around the world and I address each and every day. Last October, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton outlined a vision placing economic statecraft at the forefront of U.S. diplomacy. Economic statecraft has two parts: first, how we harness the forces and use the tools of global economics; and second, how we put that diplomacy and presence to work to strengthen our economy at home. Secretary Clinton emphasized that the future of U.S. economic growth increasingly relies upon "our ability to compete and win overseas." She asked all of us working in Washington and at our embassies overseas to look at ways to better leverage our platforms abroad. In other words, she asked us to answer the question: what can we do for U.S. business?

This week, Secretary Clinton is inviting senior representatives of U.S. business support organizations in over 120 countries to the first-ever "Secretary's Global Business Conference," hosted by the Department of State on February 21-22. We will focus on ways we can help companies enter new markets, create jobs, and accelerate America's economic renewal. We will also focus on the critical need to attract new investment into the United States and create American jobs.

We invite you to join us at the conference via live webcast as Secretary Clinton delivers remarks on February 21 at 12:45 p.m. (EST). Check out our website for more information about ongoing events during the conference, and you can also follow and engage with us on our social media sites, including @StateDept on Twitter and Facebook, and Assistant Secretary Fernandez of the Economic and Business Affairs Bureau via @EconEngage on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow the conference on Twitter using the hashtags #SGBC, #EconDiplomacy, #jobs, #trade, and #exports.

We welcome your thoughts and questions on how we can support U.S. firms doing business overseas and promote economic opportunity here in the United States. As the Secretary said, "We have made it a core diplomatic mission to enhance our economic leadership in the world and to drive domestic economic renewal. Under President Obama's leadership, our National Security Strategy is focused on shoring up the sources of our global strength. Now, it's true that economic recovery is mostly a matter of good domestic policy, political will, and the willingness of the American people to stay focused on a better tomorrow. But, while our efforts may begin at home, they cannot end there."